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Exhibit Description

This exhibit highlights ongoing Campus as Lab research projects conducted by students and faculty. The two projects featured are the Princeton Vertical Farming Project (PVFP) and the School Bus Tiny House. The exhibit also includes information about the Fall 2017 student-initiated seminar initiated by Artemis Eyster '19, GEO ST03: Analyzing Ecological Integrity. The purpose of the course is to evaluate the ecological health of the undeveloped natural areas on campus and provide timely analyses to inform campus planning efforts.

The PVFP, located in Moffett Laboratory, was launched by Dr. Paul Gauthier, an associate research scholar in plant physiology and environmental plant metabolism in the Geosciences department, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. PVFP’s main focus is to investigate the increased yield produced by vertical farming as well as the engineering of the hydroponic system through a lens of sustainability and energy efficiency. It also focuses on a marketing approach of vertical farming, looking specifically at maximizing the financial benefit of the program and making it marketable to a larger community. PVFP is partnering with Terrace Eating Club to provide them with fresh greens and herbs from the vertical farm. In the future, the goal is to provide fresh greens to all dining halls and eating clubs on campus year round. In addition, PVFP serves as a research opportunity for various student teams.

The goal of the School Bus Tiny House is to design and build a sustainable living space that is functional, yet leaves almost no impact on the surrounding environment. Nico Viglucci '19 purchased a school bus to convert into a comfortable, versatile home that can be lived in year-round, off-the-grid, with minimal environmental impact. The renovation materials were purchased with support from the High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund.The amenities will be powered by an experimental solar array that charges a bank of lithium-ion batteries. The interior will be cooled by a passive,low-energy HVAC system. The performance will be monitored by integrated computer hardware that publishes data to the tiny bus website. The students’ work will be thoroughly documented and they play to provide open source data on their website so that anyone can build upon the design.